Shadows of Light
by antZy
Summary: Kicks off from the scene from Half Blood Prince where Harry does the Sectumsempra spell on Draco, there on forms an unexpected bond of understanding.
1. Chapter 1

The corner of the bathroom sink dug into his sides as one of Harry's irate spells whizzed past Malfoy. With blurred vision, Malfoy blindly ducked and threw spells back at Harry. His heart thumped with each missed spell shooting fountains of splinters and crushed glass upon impact.

D _amn you Harry_

"Malfoy, I will not," Harry parried a bolt of hateful deep ebony. "-let YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS."

 **Stupefy**

Malfoy was immobilized but his face contorted in hatred, still. This evoked an uncharacteristic smug spark in Harry's otherwise calm green eyes. It was as if Malfoy's Slytherin roots reflected in Harry, or was there a serpent in the bottom of the lake, all along?

For the first time Malfoy felt searing dread: from Harry.

 _ **Sectumsempra**_

Immediately after the verses left Harry, before he could begin to regret it; Malfoy's skin was incised into a thousand slits which wept dark pure blood. The screams crushed harry like deafening silence warping around his existence. He only registered Snape dragging Malfoy with a trail of blood and a gargled spitefulness directed at Harry, or was it coming from Harry himself? Searing hot trails of regret confirmed which.

Beep bop, SCENE TWO. (I am kinda lazy to elaborate on Harry's turmoil so there's kind of a timeskip just imagine that he was threatened by Snape against ever seeing Draco again. So here he is, doing the opposite.)

There was a blanket of silence tucked in every corner of the ward. Harry wiped his fogging glasses for the second time as he cursed his nerves. Standing by the entrance, he released a deep sigh and stared into nothingness until he got used to the darkness. When he could distinguish the sentry like beds, he scanned the room and cursed again as his glasses fogged up again at the sight of a quivering lump of sheets. Clenching his teeth, harry paced his light steps with his thumping heart.

Almost gliding soundlessly, harry slid onto a tool by Malfoy's bed.

 **I'm so very sorry Malfoy**

It felt as if his thought echoed through room. "I…." His voice was lost in vocal fry.

"Oh no, The Great Harry Potter has come to apologize, has he? SO noble, what choice do I ha…" Malfoy squinted his eyes in agony as if he would weep blood.

"I just wanted to know, I don't understand why you're putting yourself through this… Draco." His glasses were translucent with shame.

"You see… You'll never understand. You can't. Have you ever stepped into the shadows? Do you know what it's like to be the shadow? You are so sure of what you stand for, the absolute symbol of righteousness. How can you see anything when you're blinded by light?" Tears dropped on Draco's pale hand and cooled his skin as his rolled down, tracing his veins. He was surprised by how the unceasing tears calmed his own stream of emotions. "Why are _you_...?"

"I understand, Draco, I do." Harry managed to whisper with his croaky voice. He undid his glasses and let the streaks of tears moisten the mist on the glass. Unable to muster anymore words beyond the throbbing lump in his throat, he rested his head on Draco's sides. There was no hint of pain from the bruise he had there earlier.

Somehow, it all made sense to simply drift away into nothingness together without thought, pain or emotion. It made all the sense in the world to lock their fingers as streaks of moonlight intertwined a play of shadow and light.


	2. Chapter 2

Draco's eyelids fluttered open as they lit up in a rose hue from the bright morning. After what seemed like forever, he felt like he finally had a good sleep which loosened the bolts of stress tightening his muscles. He widened his eyes in shock as he felt a warm weight snuggled in the curve of his waist. Devoid of the usual hatred that boiled in him upon seeing Harry's face, Draco was actually reminded of a plush bunny.

 _Ughh this…._ _ **Boy**_ _._

Careful not to wake the drooling head, he rustled to ease his tense joints from having maintained the same position all night. Harry jolted awake and dropped his glasses on the ground with a clatter. His sudden movement pushed the tool back against the next bed with a screech. Running his hand through his greasy mess of hair, he instinctively smiled in embarrassment- not the teeth bearing smile, more like the subtle crunch along the corner of his eyes, a smile hiding innocently.

"I'm really sorry!" He stood tall at once, tipped forward a bit, decided to dip his waist into a bow and rushed off with his clock fluttering in hurry with him.

An automatic chuckle left Draco forgetful of the events that got him there in the first place. He pushed out the entire thought from his mind as the chronological events threatened a rush of blood to his cheeks.

Time skip 2 weeks

Draco avoided his friends to the fullest and waived off their scampering instincts of being weary in his vicinity. As usual he wished for everything and everyone to disappear and just as efficiently, he avoided any stray thought that would lead him back to _him._ Of course that also includes abandoning all duties to Him, The Dark Lord, The Snape, The Malfoy. Keeping himself busy, he simply tucked away these thoughts into tight crevices between stacks of schoolwork.

"Yes, Malfoy. Enter." Snape nodded. Draco rushed off to the nearest bench, unmindful of the other occupants.

"Harry," Malfoy snapped his head to the person to his right. "Blimey!" He scrunched his nose, disgusted by the close shot of angry blotches of freckles spread over Ron's face.

 _Oh, the Weasle._

Two people separated him and Harry and the closeness crept up on him like an invisible force squeezing his organs dry. He had felt chilly hatred from his presence before, but this was a different kind of chill, he realized. As unmindful as he tried to be, his obnoxious neighbours made his attempts nearly impossible. He strained to keep his poker face in place which threatened to contort with agitation. After one gruelling hour, the class was over. He collected his affairs and rushed off like a breeze once again.

To avoid people, he usually took shortcuts only few people were aware of. At the back of the potions classroom was a hidden path which he very frequently took. Among dozens of doors that lead to Potions inventory rooms, there was a route which takes one to the library. Draco would avoid crowd at any cost, even if it usually meant controlling the urge to break down doors.

Draco wheezed as he inhaled a wave of dust upon entering one of the inventory rooms. His eyes stung with the fine dust swimming in his tears. He staggered forward in the dark and bumped his head into an unexpectedly soft wall.

"Lumos," the wall whispered in urgency. Draco gasped in panic and wheezed again doubling forward, repeating his initial reaction. "Uh, hello Draco." The light from the wand washed over Harry's face which gleamed in embarrassment.

Draco tried to straighten his back to ease his inflamed lungs. This only worsened his stinging eyes as Harry's shrub of hair spiked Draco's face.

"Who is in there, I repeat! You better not be stealing anymore ingredients…" A shuffle of feet approached them and sooner than expected, the door to their cupboard swiftly opened to reveal Snape's blood drained face. His squint narrowed into mere slits as he attempted to comprehend a combination of circumstances which might explain the presence of these two specific boys together. He grunted indifferently and slammed the door back into place, which showered a layer of dust on Harry and Draco.

"It's like we're covered in snow." Harry's green eyes swam with shy desperation of averting awkwardness.

" _Yes, definitely. Snow."_ Draco brushed his sweat beaded nose on the wall and the wall was as rigid as walls are meant to be.


	3. Chapter 3

_**How is he exactly my height. How is he just staring at me. Why is he just staring at me. Why won't he say anything. Why am I the only one concerned with breaking ice.**_

Draco fixed his silvery shadowed eyes on Harry's as if he was reading his thoughts on the green marble.

" _No,_ I was not avoiding you. Well yes I was; but I avoid everybody. And it seems as though I have failed miserably." Draco inched his face towards Harry's until their noses touched, displacing a film of cold sweat.

Harry stumbled a step back without interrupting Draco's line of sight. Harry could see the shadows play in excited hues as he felt the dry cracks of his lips moisten with colour. Harry was satisfied to see the silver glean in surprise as he smiled into Draco's lips. Draco swiftly withdrew and recomposed his neck from the straining sharp angle, and dared not look at Harry now.

"Payback." Draco strode out the door as fast as his legs would allow. His body was numb from feeling too much.

"Oh, I will." Harry watched the blurry figure grow small from behind his steaming frame.


	4. Chapter 4

/*Song rec: I need somebody- Day6*/

"Hermione, you don't happen to have part 17 of the Firgus potion usage ethics, do you?" Harry pushed his heavy glasses up his nose, which was slipping every few minutes.

"I do not." Hermione replied, offended. "Harry. Why are you studying so intensely… All of a sudden?" Her squint widened in worry. "Is everything alright, Harry? HEY RON COME HERE FOR A MOMENT!"

"Hermione calm down. Everything is fine! RON DON'T COME." Harry turned away from Hermione's gaze, impossible burying deeper into his book.

"Hah. You like someone. Ginny? How are things with her?"

Harry tilted his head sideways, "Oh its fine, things weren't working out with her. We're really good friends, though. Ron was happy about it. And no I don't!" He swayed back into his crouching position, desperate to hide his flushed cheeks.

Hermione tapped the book at hand impatiently. "Fine. Tell me when you're comfortable."

 ** _timeskip_**

Harry craned his neck around the potions class, searching fervently for a very specific blond head.

"Does anyone from Slytherin know why Malfoy has not been present in my class the past week?" Snape cut Boyle off before he could open his mouth, "Do tell him he must pay me a visit. Unacceptable behaviour!"

Harry's heart jumpstarted at the mention of his name, "You think anything bad happened to him?"

"Who cares! Even if something did, the bastard deserves it. Bah!" Ron yawned indifferently.

"Harry, oh Harry…" Hermione glowed with hysteria.

 ** _timeskip_**

Possessed by a feverish worry, Harry could not concentrate on his studies or register what anyone said to him, which definitely did not deter Ron's story telling. After the other occupants in his room dozed off, Harry mindlessly slipped on the invisibility cloak. Driven by worry, curiosity and a shy eagerness, he found himself in the dungeons.

Dodging slytherins and snaking through furniture as quietly as possible, he followed Crabbe. Struggling not to bump into objects in the darker parts of the slytherin dormitory, he waited a distance away from Crabbe's destination.

As if a trapdoor had been set for anyone daring to come near the entrance to Draco's room, a book shot straight at the wall near the door in response to a fellow slytherin, who did.

"The next will be aimed at you. Although your blubber functions as the perfect armour for you; no use." Malfoy gritted his teeth in annoyance as Crabbe waddled in.

"Snape said-"

"I will visit him. LEAVE!" About a dozen books ricocheted off the door as Crabbe closed it behind him in defence.

He sighed heavily, fell backwards and let the clutter of books on his bed dig into his back. He ran his fingers through his sleek hair. His mind was ambushed by the image of Harry's overgrown spikey hair crosslinking with his when he had leaned into him earlier. He suddenly shot up, pushing every thought out of his mind. He diverted his attention back to the door, squinting at it, listening for any shuffle of feet. The door made a subtle thud, sucked forward by a change in pressure from someone having opened the door to his quarter of the dorm.

"I SAID OUT- NOBODY ENTER THIS SIDE OF THE DORMITORY!" Draco burst out of his room, wand raised high, ready to reprimand.

There was nobody there. An array of books bulleted out, one having caught by an invisible wall. The darkness caressed their flushed cheeks.


End file.
